Syracuse basketball’s 2028 recruiting board keeps brushing up against the EYBL Scholastic, and now another major target is making the jump into that talent-heavy lane.
On Tuesday, 2028 four-star wing Isaiah Carter said on his X page that he is transferring from Highland School in Warrenton, Va., to the St. James Academy in Springfield, Va.
The St. James program is part of the EYBL Scholastic, which is set to include 15 member institutions in the upcoming 2026-27 season.
Carter is a big one for the Orange. The 6-foot-7, 195-pound wing is ranked No. 23 overall in the 2028 class by Rivals, and he landed a scholarship offer from Syracuse first-year head coach Gerry McNamara in late June after a strong showing for Highland at DMV Live in Hyattsville, Md. McNamara and the Syracuse staff were on hand for that scholastic live period, and Carter is one of more than a dozen 2028 prospects to pick up an offer from Orange coaches.
His offer list is already packed with major programs, including Pittsburgh, TCU, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgetown, VCU, Oklahoma State, BYU, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Fordham, Old Dominion and Texas A&M. He is also regarded as a top-40 national prospect in the class by both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking.
Carter spent this spring and summer with the 16U team of Boo Williams in Nike’s EYBL league. There, he averaged 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from 3-point range and 86.2 percent at the line.
The St. James move also drops Carter into a program led by former college coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson. The school went 12-14 last season, according to MaxPreps.
Carter isn’t the only Syracuse target tied to the EYBL Scholastic this coming year. Several other Orange recruiting names are spread across the league’s member schools.
At AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz., 2027 four-star forward Zion Green is set to play for the Dragons. He already has a Syracuse offer and took an unofficial visit to SU in late August 2025, though he is not a priority target for the Orange right now.
CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix is coming off a 2025-26 national championship, and 2027 five-star wing/forward Ahmed Nur has transferred there for his senior season. Nur will officially visit Syracuse beginning Wednesday and is a priority recruit for the Orange in this cycle. Syracuse has also offered three 2028 players at Bella Vista: four-star forward Isaiah Clarke, five-star point guard Liam Mitakaro and four-star forward Settimo Yugu.
At Iowa United Prep in Des Moines, Iowa, 2028 four-star point guard Malik Moore will suit up in 2026-27. He does not yet have a Syracuse offer, but Orange coaches reached out after the 2028 contact period opened on June 15.
La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., features 2027 four-star point guard Devin Cleveland, and Syracuse is in his top seven. Cleveland has said he plans to officially visit all of his finalists before choosing a college, and while he has already lined up four official visits, Syracuse is not on that schedule yet.
Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., has one of Syracuse’s biggest targets in 2027 five-star wing/small forward Moussa Kamissoko. He is set to take an official visit to Syracuse from September 3 to September 4, Inside the Loud House has reported.
Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass., has 2028 five-star wing Kevin Wheatley Jr., a re-offer for McNamara and his staff. Wheatley took an unofficial visit to the Hill last December, and the new school is led by head coach Jason Smith.
Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., rounds out the list, with head coach Steve Turner leading the way. Two players there are worth watching for Syracuse fans: 2028 five-star wing Isaiah Hamilton, who is from Canada, and 2028 five-star wing Xavier Skipworth, who is from the D.C. metro area.
In Other News...
Juan Castillo Has Syracuse's Biggest Problem Under A Real Spotlight
Juan Castillos arrival in Syracuse brought an immediate sense of urgency to a unit that badly needed it. The veteran offensive line coach arrives with four decades of coaching experience, including 28 years in the NFL, and he has already put his stamp on the room by pushing a sharper standard in both culture and work ethic. After last seasons struggles up front, there is little doubt why this job became one of the staffs most important fixes.
Castillo has not been shy about the expectations, either, viewing the group as one with NFL-level talent and setting the Joe Moore Award as the goal. For Syracuse, that kind of confidence matters because the offensive line is not just a position group in need of repair, it is the foundation for everything else the offense wants to do. The challenge now is whether all that experience and belief can turn into the kind of consistency that changes the conversation around the Orange. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Got A Reality Check On Fran Browns Rebuild
Chris Vanninis preseason FBS power rankings offered Syracuse a modest sign of respect, bumping the Orange to 78th after a 104th-place finish in 2025. It is an improvement, but it also comes with a reminder of how much is still being sorted out in Fran Browns rebuild, from new running backs and receivers to an offense that is being put back together piece by piece.
The bigger takeaway is the road ahead, because the rankings also map out where Syracuse sits against its 2026 opponents and how steep the climb could be. For a program trying to turn the corner under Brown, the early read suggests there is progress to point to, but not nearly enough to assume the hard part is over. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Edge Rushers Are Embracing A New Identity At The Right Time
Syracuses defense spent too much of last season chasing answers, and the biggest issue was hard to miss: the pass rush just did not show up often enough. With a new season opener against New Hampshire on Sept. 5 approaching, the Orange have turned their attention to the edge, where new coach Jeremy Hawkins has been brought in to help change the tone and the results.
Hawkins has already tried to give the group a simple identity to lean on, introducing the acronym E.A.T.T. for Energy, Enthusiasm, Attitude and Technique. For a unit trying to climb out of a disappointing 2025, the message is less about slogans than setting a standard, and Syracuse will find out soon enough whether that new approach can translate once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]